The
appointment,
which
takes
immediate
effect,
was
announced
on
Monday,
11
May,
in
a
statement
by
ZANU-PF
Secretary
for
Information
and
Publicity
and
party
spokesperson
Christopher
Mutsvangwa.
The
statement
reads:
“The
ZANU
PF
First
Secretary
and
President
of
the
Republic
of
Zimbabwe,
His
Excellency
Cde.
Dr
Emmerson
Dambudzo
Mnangagwa,
exercising
His
mandate
in
terms
of
Article
9,
Section
65
as
read
with
Section
67
of
the
ZANU-PF
Constitution,
has
appointed
General
(Rtd)
Philip
Valerio
Sibanda
to
the
ZANU-PF
Politburo.
This
appointment
is
with
immediate
effect.”
This
is
not
the
first
time
Mnangagwa
has
appointed
General
Sibanda
to
the
ZANU-PF
Politburo.
Sibanda
was
first
named
an
ex
officio
member
of
the
Politburo
on
29
October
2023
during
the
party’s
20th
National
People’s
Conference
in
Gweru.
Less
than
three
weeks
later,
however,
Mnangagwa
reversed
the
appointment
after
lawyers
and
civil
society
groups
raised
constitutional
objections.
They
argued
that
Section
208
of
the
2013
Constitution
prohibits
serving
members
of
the
security
services
from
taking
part
in
partisan
politics.
Presidential
spokesperson
George
Charamba
confirmed
the
decision
had
been
deferred
until
Sibanda
retired
from
the
Zimbabwe
Defence
Forces.
His
latest
appointment
follows
his
retirement
from
the
ZDF.